The inner workings of government may not always be pretty, but they are rarely boring.
Three Benedictine University students will receive a rigorous education into local, state and federal government this fall thanks to the Public Service Fellows program established by former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and the Department of Political Science at Benedictine University.
Benedictine seniors Kyle Robert Bruett, Amina Waheed and Jennifer Amy Erickson have been named recipients of the first public service scholarships awarded by the Center for Civic Leadership and Public Service at Benedictine University. Each scholarship is worth $3,000 and includes an internship component.
The scholarships were provided through the generosity of Peter and Carole Doris of Downers Grove, former Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago chairman Lester H. McKeever, Jr., and
Robert W. Fioretti and John B. Lower of the Chicago law firm of Fioretti and Lower.
“It is essential that we attract our best and brightest young people to public service and government,” said Fioretti, who serves as Alderman of Chicago’s 2nd Ward. “I look at this program as an investment in the future.”
The students were nominated for the scholarship by Benedictine University faculty.
Kyle Robert Bruett is the son of Richard E. and Susan Bruett of Libertyville and a 2004 graduate of Libertyville High School. He is a senior at Benedictine University majoring in Political Science.
Amina Waheed is the daughter of Mohammed and Rafath Waheed of Lombard and a graduate of the College Prep School of America. She is also a senior majoring in Political Science.
Jennifer Amy Erickson is the daughter of Daniel T. and Colleen Erickson of Lockport and a 2005 graduate of Lockport Township High School. She is a senior majoring in English Language and Literature.
“These students were nominated because of their academic achievements and for having demonstrated leadership potential,” Ryan said. “As part of being named scholarship recipients, each student will serve a 15-week public internship in the fall.”
The students will serve their internships in the offices of DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett; at the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a non-partisan non-profit research and advocacy think tank that promotes fair, efficient and progressive tax; and in the Bloomingdale offices of U.S. Representative Peter Roskam (R-Ill.).
“There are two overarching goals of the Center for Civic Leadership and Public Service –
shaping a new generation of responsible citizens and encouraging careers in public service,” Ryan said.

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Benedictine University is an independent Roman Catholic institution located in Lisle, Illinois just 25 miles west of Chicago. Founded in 1887, Benedictine provides 56 undergraduate majors, 16 graduate and four doctorate programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently ranked Benedictine University as the seventh fastest-growing campus among private nonprofit master’s universities, and Forbes magazine named Benedictine among the top 20 percent of America’s colleges for 2011. Benedictine University’s Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program is listed by Crain’s Chicago Business as the fourth largest in the Chicago area in 2011.